W.H. met with Congress aides on ISIL

The Obama administration held at least two meetings with top congressional aides at the White House recently to discuss its military operations in Iraq and Syria, according to multiple sources familiar with the gatherings.

At both meetings, the bipartisan group discussed whether there was need for a resolution authorizing President Barack Obama to use military force against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, and White House officials explained their legal justification for conducting strikes in Syria and Iraq.

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The White House officials, who included Neil Eggleston, the White House counsel, met with Republican and Democratic Senate leadership aides and staffers from the Armed Services and Foreign Relations panels last week, followed by a similar group of senior House staffers on Monday, according to sources familiar with the meetings.

“We held these bipartisan discussions as part of our ongoing effort to closely consult with the Hill on our legal authorities, and to offer our assistance as members prepare to debate and possibly consider new AUMFs in the lame duck and beyond,” said a White House official.

Obama and other top administration aides have asserted that the president, under the 9/11 resolution and the 2002 resolution authorizing the Iraq War, has the authority to conduct anti-ISIL operations so far, including airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have supported Obama’s position.

Tony Blinken, the deputy national security adviser, said during a Sunday appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” that the White House “would welcome Congress’ support. We already have it for the train-and-equip program.”

Blinken added: “And that support can manifest itself in different ways, including a new authorization to use force. So, that’s something we would welcome. We do not require it. We have the existing authorization from 2001. That is a basis for proceeding. But we would certainly welcome Congress showing its support.”

The meetings between the Hill aides and White House officials do not appear to indicate an uptick in planning for a new authorization for the use of military force — or AUMF — but they show a previously unknown level of dialogue about the military operations aimed at defeating ISIL. Congress has already approved a mission to train and arm Syrian rebels to target ISIL that includes a ban on U.S. forces being directly engaged in combat.

But there has been increasing concern among lawmakers that Congress should debate and vote on authorizing a wider anti-ISIL military campaign, especially if it becomes a lengthy effort.

Even some high-profile Obama allies, like Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), said they want the president to get an AUMF from Congress.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he would bring Congress back into session before the election if Obama formally requested a new AUMF, but otherwise his preference would be to wait until 2015 to tackle the issue.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants Obama to present Congress with his plan for combating ISIL, which would then be followed by hearings in the relevant committees and a floor debate. If Republicans win control of the Senate on Election Day, McConnell would have a much larger hand in drafting such a measure in the next Congress.